Operation Wallaby

Operation Wallaby was an Australian military operation of the Vietnam War which occurred in Phu Yen Province, South Vietnam in 1971.

The US-led anti-communist forces in Vietnam had made great progress since 1969, depriving the Viet Cong of all of their regional strongholds apart from Phu Yen by 1971. After the exhausting Battle of Da Nang Airbase, the US decided to allow for the 1st Australian Task Force to carry out the next offensive, this time against Phu Yen Province, a Viet Cong stronghold. The US command was initially optimistic about the Australian military's chances in capturing the province, but later came to regret its decision due to the Australians' lack of air support.

The Australians succeeded in capturing a bridge and farm on the outskirts of town, but they struggled to capture the strongpoints within the city from the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong used a school as one of their main positions, and they were able to repel numerous Viet Cong attacks in close-quarters fighting. The Australians utilized artillery bombardments against the communist forces, but some Australian squads deviated from the main objective, leading to the Viet Cong returning to the school and holding off further attacks. Ultimately, the Australians exhausted all of their available troops in attacks against the Viet Cong, and the last survivors were order to pull back and kill as many Viet Cong fighters as possible. All 626 of the Australian soldiers sent in to attack Ninh Phu were killed or wounded, and the Viet Cong retained control of the Phu Yen region. By 1972, the last Australian troops had withdrawn from Vietnam.